PDS0000X Public Defender Services Commission

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Public Defender Services Commission

Agency Description

JudicialPublic Defender Services Commission

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The Public Defender Services Commission is responsible for:

Ensuring the constitutional administration of criminal justice within the state court system by maintaining a public defender office at all court locations throughout the state.
Providing legal representation to indigent accused in criminal trials and appeals, extradition proceedings, habeas corpus proceedings arising from a criminal matter, delinquency matters, Psychiatric Security Review Board cases and post-conviction petitions for DNA testing.
Providing social work services to clients to assist in addressing and resolving personal and social problems that lead to arrest and prosecution within the criminal justice system.
Contributing to crime prevention by participation in specialized programs, including domestic violence courts, community courts, youthful offender dockets, diversionary programs, drug intervention, alternatives to incarceration and team case management.
Providing a balanced perspective within the criminal justice community by participation on state policy boards, task forces and committees involved in addressing criminal justice issues.
Fulfilling the state’s constitutional obligation to provide competent defense counsel in a professional, effective and cost efficient manner for indigent accused.

Providing competent assigned counsel for adults and children in the above matters where an ethical conflict of interest requires representation by outside counsel.
Providing counsel for indigent children and adults involved in child welfare cases before the superior court, providing guardian ad litems in family court cases, and providing representation for contemnors in support enforcement cases.

Insuring that appeals are expedited as required by the Appellate and Supreme Courts.

Public Defender Services CommissionJudicial

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Legal Services

Public Defender Services CommissionJudicial

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Statutory Reference

C.G.S. Section 51-289, et seq.

Statement of Need and Program Objectives

To fulfill the state’s constitutional obligation to provide counsel to indigent, accused persons.

To enable poor defendants to exercise their legal rights in criminal and juvenile courts by ensuring access to legal representation that the client otherwise could not afford.

Program Description

Within the Geographical Area, Judicial District and Juvenile Matters Public Defender Court Field Offices the public defender or staff is responsible for conducting the initial interview with an accused person to determine eligibility for services. The court, after considering the public defender’s recommendation, makes the final determination and appoints the public defender as attorney for an indigent accused person. Assignments are made to investigators and social workers. Plea-bargaining, consultations and pre-trial conferences are completedand, as necessary, trials are conducted. Once pleas or verdicts are entered, pre-sentence interviews with probation and sentencing hearings take place. Post-trial proceedings, such as sentence modification, motions to correct illegal sentence pursuant to State v. Casiano, sentence review, appeal and habeas corpus may be instituted. If an appeal is brought, it may be assigned to the trial attorney, to an attorney within the Legal Services Unit, or to a special public defender specifically approved to handle appeals.

The Legal Services Unit supervises the processing and briefing of appeals, including appeals by special public defenders on a non-contractual basis. When necessary, this office also pursues appeals infederal court, including the U.S. Supreme Court. The unit provides legal research assistance to the trial attorneys.

Within the overall representation of the client, the following other specialized services are provided: The Assigned Counsel Unit provides outside counsel for clients in all public defender cases where a conflict of interest requires assignment and in child protection cases; the Habeas Corpus Unit handles post-conviction habeas corpus matters; the Capital Defense and Trial Services Unit represents indigent accused in cases where the state is seeking the death penalty and in the appeals of cases for those clients sentenced to death; the Psychiatric Defense Unit handles cases involving psychiatric issues and represents mentally-ill clients under the jurisdiction of the Psychiatric Security Review Board; the Juvenile Post-Conviction and Re-Entry Unit represents convicted juveniles during their period ofcommitment to the Department of Children and Families and assists them with reentry into their families, schools and communities; the Connecticut Public Defender Innocence Project reviews claims of actual innocence from long-term prisoners in order to pursue exoneration if appropriate; and thePublic Defender Social Worker Program specializes in presenting alternative dispositions to incarceration, and providing social workservices including referrals to and collaboration with social serviceagencies, the Court Support Services Division, the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, the Department of Children and Families, and the Department of Correction.

Public Defender Services CommissionJudicial

Budget-in-Detail

Management Services

Public Defender Services CommissionJudicial

Budget-in-Detail

Statutory Reference

C.G.S. Section 51-289, et seq.

Statement of Need and Program Objectives

To maintain effective legal representation for the poor by establishing and implementing policies and providing administrative services and training to the staff of forty-threepublic defender offices and specialized units throughout the state.

Program Description

This unit operates a centralized systemwhich directs activities, allocates resources and supervises the operations of the Public Defender Services Commission. Thirteen managers implement and direct overall policies established by a seven-member governing commission.

Management Services approves and contracts with assigned counsel to handle cases in which conflicts of interest preclude representation by a public defender. It also establishes fee schedules and pays these special public defenders for their services; compiles, analyzes and evaluates statistics with reference to caseload and case movement and establishes and maintains procedures and standards for full-time personnel and evaluates their performance.

The unit institutes and conducts training programs for attorneys, investigators, social workers and secretarial staff; prepares operating budgets, manuals, reports and publications for the entire division and insures logistical support for all adult and juvenile courts throughout the state.

Management Services acts as liaison with other state agencies, including the Judicial Branch, the Division of Criminal Justice, the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and the Department of Correction to assess and coordinate inter-related operations. It provides preliminary defense of its personnel in habeas corpus, grievance and professional liability actions; prepares and distributes legal research, memoranda and newsletters to all offices and provides special units of defense to respond to programs initiated by the Judicial Branch or the Division of Criminal Justice.

Management Servicesresponds to and acts upon questions and complaints from the general public and individual clients; establishes programs to seek reimbursement from clients able to pay for all or a portion of legal services provided; develops procedures, maintains records, processes all financial actions of the division; purchases materials and equipment and handles the payment of expert witnesses.

Public Defender Services CommissionJudicial

Budget-in-Detail

Public Defender Services CommissionJudicial